This invention relates to a method of making a decorative laminate which poses less of a threat to the environment. More particularly, this invention relates to an article made from a laminate made according to the environmentally-benign method of the invention. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a method of making an article of furniture from the decorative laminate which does not result in a significant release of volatile organic compounds into the environment.
Particularly in recent times, the art of designing and manufacturing contemporary furniture has recognized furniture as an art form. Thus, a large selection of furniture and accessory pieces made of acrylic, wood, and metal have evolved from new concepts in furniture design which consider the sculptural as well as the functional role of furniture. By way of example, some designers have effectively utilized acrylic materials, either alone or in conjunction with wood and metal, to form unique and often abstract articles of furniture and accessories.
Acrylic materials, both in a clear form and in solid color form, have been available for quite some time. For example, a "PLEXIGLAS" brand acrylic is a cast thermoplastic acrylic resin sheet produced in a number of formulations to provide specific physical properties required for various types of applications. "PLEXIGLAS" is a registered trademark for such acrylic sheets of the Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pa. In addition, "LUCITE" acrylic sheets have been available from E. I. Dupont de Nemours & Co and are now currently available from ICI as "LUCITE BY ICI." Both brands of acrylic sheets have found their way into such decorative furniture designs.
However, the completely effective use of acrylic sheets to form durable and decorative surfacing of furniture has been a problem in the art. It is, of course, desirable that articles made from such acrylic sheets have a durable and decorative surfacing and be scratch-resistant. In the past, however, acrylic sheets have generally exhibited poor abrasion-resistance and have been difficult to color or to pattern. However, both DuPont and Swedlow, Inc. produce acrylic sheets having abrasion-resistant or super-abrasion-resistant qualities. DuPont produces an abrasion-resistant sheet having improved abrasion-resistant qualities for use in applications where optical quality, cleanability, and long term retention of properties is important. Thus, "LUCITE SAR" has been developed by DuPont which has a surface comprising a cross-linked polysilicate resin to provide the acrylic sheet with a combination of properties including abrasion resistance, solvent resistance, and weatherability. In addition, DuPont "LUCITE SAR" brand acrylic sheet can be cleaned using conventional glass cleaners and is resistant to many chemicals which attack other commonly used transparent plastic sheets, including acids, bases, hydrocarbons, esters and alcohols. The Swedlow abrasion resistant sheet is sold under the "ACRIVUE" trademark and is available from Swedlow, Inc., Garden Grove, Calif. Additionally, Nevamar manufactures a hard coated acrylic sheet. But such materials continue to be difficult to color and pattern.
The use of colorful and durable sheets of other, non-acrylic materials as a surface for various articles of furniture also exists in the prior art. For example, the use of the well-known "FORMICA" brand laminate on counter tops is well known. In addition, other similar materials generally of a solid color, or of a marbled decorative pattern because of the nature of the process to form the laminate, have been used as a decorative outer layer for furniture or accessories.
It has, however, been difficult to produce a colorful, durable, and decorative surfacing for furniture made from acrylic or polycarbonate sheets. This problem is largely founded on obstacles to patterning the coloring in a contemporaneous fashion and in a manner which is bright, lustrous, and resistant to fading, while at the same time exhibiting colors which are extraordinarily brilliant and exhibit an apparent depth which is attractive to the eye.
The painting of acrylic sheets with an acrylic lacquer is known in the prior art. Where acrylic paints have been applied to the outer surface of the acrylic sheet, such paints have been handpainted and highly rubbed to provide a brilliant, lustrous finish. Such processing, however, is time consuming and expensive. In addition, such articles have suffered from the problem of chipping, peeling and fading.
The backpainting of acrylic sheets with an acrylic lacquer is also known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,235 to DeWitt discloses an acrylic coating composition for use in back-painting impact-resistant acrylic sheets for use as signs.
However, none of these approaches of the prior art has been entirely satisfactory in two significant respects. The first relates to the depth, color and brilliance heretofore exhibited by painted acrylic lacquer sheets. The second relates to the ability to form patterns on the acrylic sheet of contemporary design on a selective, non-repetitive basis for use in manufacturing contemporary furniture.
A partial solution to these problems was offered in U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,603 to Hayman-Chaffey et al. which disclosed a method of making a laminate in which a transparent acrylic sheet was coated with an acrylic paint coating composition on one side in a predetermined color and decorative pattern. The coated sheet was then coated with an acrylic primer coating composition over the acrylic paint coating. The sheet was then subsequently adhesively secured to a backing member, such as barrel board for fabrication into furniture.
Unfortunately, such laminates required the use of acrylic paint coatings and acrylic primer coatings, both of which contain substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
VOC is an abbreviation for Volatile Organic Compounds. With regard to paints and coatings, VOC refers to how much solvent a paint or coating contains. VOC includes most solvents except for an exempt few, such as chlorinated solvents (for example, 1,1,1-trichloroethane) and water.
VOC has become an issue within the last ten years since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun to try to improve air quality by lowering air pollution. Solvents (VOC) have been proven to be a contributor to air pollution. Certain solvents can be broken down by sunlight when in the atmosphere. The resulting compounds can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat and, generally, are a health hazard.
VOC laws are designed to reduce the VOC (solvent) emissions of large users of solvents. These restrictions reduce the amount of VOC (solvent) that a coating can contain. VOC is measured in either pounds/gallon or grams/liter. VOC laws also usually limit the sprayable VOC. For example, if a coating is rated at 3.5 pounds/gallon (sprayable), it means that one sprayable gallon of a coating contains 3.5 pounds of solvent. This excludes water and exempted solvents.
Various regions of the United States either have adopted VOC limits or are considering instituting such limits in the near future. Accordingly, there remains a need for a method of making a decorative laminated acrylic or polycarbonate article which does not result in a significant discharge of VOC during manufacture of the laminate.
Thus, it is an overall object of this invention to provide a method of making a decorative laminated article suitable for use in making furniture which does not pose a substantial threat to the environment.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an article of furniture made from a decorative laminated article manufactured according to the environmentally-benign method of the present invention.
It is another object of this invention to provide a surface material for furniture which is bright, lustrous, and resistant to fading and scratching, while at the same time being relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which was manufactured by a process which did not result in a significant discharge of VOC during manufacture of the surface material.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a surfacing material particularly suitable for furniture which permits the use of color of extraordinary brilliance and depth, while at the same providing the colors with protection from chipping, peeling, and fading, and the manufacture of which does not pose a significant threat to the environment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a durable and decorative surfacing material for furniture which may be bonded to a backing sheet with commonly used adhesive without damage to the surface material and which does not result in a significant release of volatile organic compounds into the environment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a colorful and durable surfacing material for furniture with a large degree of freedom for the designer in the techniques used to apply the colors and patterns to the surfacing material and made according to the environmentally-benign method of the present invention.
It is still a further overall object of this invention to manufacture a laminate suitable for use in the manufacture of furniture by applying a clear urethane coating to a surface of an acrylic or polycarbonate composition sheet and applying a water-based or latex color coating to at least a portion of the surface of the sheet to which the clear urethane coating is applied, subsequently applying a primer-surfacer to the color coating, and thereafter laminating the coated surface of the sheet to a backing member to form such a laminate.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed description of the invention which follows.